Chapter 7
Sienna did not deny the signatures.
That was worse than Gavin’s accusation.
Nico looked at her hands.
They had begun to tremble.
“When?”
She swallowed.
“Last year.”
“How much?”
“Seven hundred thousand.”
Marjorie gave a small, triumphant exhale.
Nico heard it.
His eyes moved toward her.
She immediately stopped.
Sienna explained.
Gavin told her his mother’s home was about to be seized after Richard’s old debts resurfaced.
He said the support fund had helped dozens of families but had no clean way to transfer money to Marjorie without exposing Dominic.
Sienna authorized payments through one of her discretionary budgets.
Not for luxury spending.
She believed she was saving her husband’s mother from losing her home.
Then Gavin asked again.
And again.
The reasons changed.
A tax problem.
A medical bill.
Sabrina’s business.
Sienna stopped signing after the fourth transfer.
Gavin continued anyway.
Nico’s gaze shifted toward him.
“You copied her authorization.”
Gavin shrugged.
“She opened the door.”
Sienna’s face changed.
The sentence hit exactly where he intended.
Nico noticed.
He leaned forward.
“No.”
Gavin looked at him.
“She opened nothing.”
“She signed.”
“Four.”
Nico’s voice sharpened slightly.
“You used her signature after she stopped.”
Gavin smiled without humor.
“Now we're counting morality by transaction?”
Nico stood.
The room tightened.
Sienna’s hand moved toward his sleeve.
He felt it.
Stopped.
Her voice was quiet.
“Dad.”
He looked at her.
She shook her head once.
No violence.
Nico sat again.
Gavin saw the restraint.
For the first time, he looked disappointed.
He had wanted Nico predictable.
Angry men were easier to manipulate.
Claire, Sienna’s accountant, compared the authorizations.
Four were legitimate.
Eleven were forged.
The forged approvals reused fragments from Sienna’s earlier digital signatures.
Sabrina had administrative access to one of the vendor portals.
All eyes moved toward her.
She looked at Gavin.
Not Marjorie.
Gavin.
Sienna saw it.
“You did the copies.”
Sabrina’s breathing accelerated.
“I uploaded forms.”
“Did you forge me?”
“I was told everything had been approved.”
“By who?”
Sabrina pressed her lips together.
Gavin’s eyes hardened.
Sabrina looked down.
Then she whispered:
“Gavin.”
Gavin turned toward her.
She flinched.
A small reaction.
Enough.
Nico watched it.
Sabrina had cut Mila’s hair with confidence because she believed she still stood inside Gavin’s protection.
Now that protection was cracking.
Then Claire found another set of documents.
Not payment approvals.
Insurance forms.
All completed two months earlier.
They increased life-insurance coverage on Sienna.
Gavin’s signature appeared as beneficiary.
May you like
Sienna slowly lifted her eyes.
And the entire room stopped breathing.
